Niagara, ON: Dr. Chris Carruthers, the retired Chief of Staff of the Ottawa Hospital, will act as the facilitator to assist the Medical Staff Association (MSA) and the leadership of Niagara Health System (NHS) to renew their relations.

Dr. Carruthers will start his work next week and will be accountable to the NHS Board of Trustees to develop a process to facilitate renewed relations. Terms of reference will be developed between the Board, the MSA, and the NHS clinical and administrative leadership. Dr. Carruthers was a key member of the team headed by External Advisor Dr. Jack Kitts who reviewed the NHS Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP) for the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).

Comments

"I believe bringing in Dr. Carruthers as a facilitator is another important step. Dr. Carruthers has the background and experience to help guide us and has an excellent base of understanding of the issues in Niagara," said Mrs. Betty-Lou Souter.

"I am looking forward to working with the medical staff, the board and hospital administration to improve their relationships and ultimately improve patient care in the Niagara region," said Dr. Chris Carruthers.

Background

Dr. Carruthers is an orthopaedic surgeon and most recently served as the Chief of Staff of The Ottawa Hospital. He has held several senior medical executive positions including Chief of Staff, Vice President of Medical Affairs, President of the Medical Staff, and acting CEO, at the former Ottawa Civic Hospital.

He is a graduate of the University of Ottawa (MD), and Concordia University's Executive MBA program. He is a Certified Health Care Executive and a past surveyor for the Canadian Council on Health Facilities Accreditation. He is a member of the Canadian Medical Association's Physician Manager Institute's faculty, lecturing to physicians and other health-care professionals. He is a founder and the first president of The Canadian Society of Physician Executives. He is a member of the Board of Councillors for the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons. Dr. Carruthers has completed the Directors Education Program sponsored by the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management and is a certified director of the Institute of Corporate Directors.